inner cities

A hip-hop retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that focuses on Tybalt (derisively referred to as "the Prince of Cats") and his Capulet crew as they do battle nightly with the hated Montagues. Set in a Blade Runner-esque version of Brooklyn, Prince of Cats is a mix of urban melodrama, samurai action and classic Shakespearean theater...all written in iambic pentameter!.

"Darren Taylor is an all-state defensive end on one of the top teams in Houston. Only football promises to take him away from his gang-filled neighborhood in Houston's Third Ward. But during a preseason scrimmage, Darren tears up his right shoulder, taking him out for the season. The sudden uncertainty sends Darren into a spiral, leading to an addiction to pain pills that threatens to end his football career--and, maybe, his life"--Provided by publisher.

A story in free verse poetry in which Marcus, a boy from the inner city who suffers bullying, is grieving his sister's death, and has been labeled a troublemaker finds a way to cope with his anger with the help of an unlikely mentor, who teaches him to play chess.

After his quick-tempered father gets in a fight and is sent back to jail, sixth-grader Bryan, known for being quiet and thoughtful, snaps and follows new friend Mike into trouble.

All thirteen-year-old Raspberry can think of is making money so that she and her mother never have to worry about living on the streets again.

Fourteen-year-old Shawn wonders if he would be better off starting high school in his mother's neigborhood, away from Compton, but the idea of leaving all his friends, and the beautiful Marisol, is less appealing.

After his younger brother is killed in a drive-by shooting, Martin must choose between getting revenge and straightening out his life.

Misa Atkinson faces jail time and the loss of her son after confessing that she murdered her son's abuser, while Camille struggles to cope with her pregnancy and her estranged husband's reaction to the news.

Fourteen-year-old Shawn wonders if he would be better off starting high school in his mother's neigborhood, away from Compton, but the idea of leaving all his friends, and the beautiful Marisol, is less appealing.